Street sweeping machine



Oct. 21, 1952 c w MOTT 2,614,279

, STREET SWEEPING MACHINE Filed Jan. 2, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 6234' M /'7arr Patented Get. 21, 1952 UNITED STATES ...VTENT or ies eraser SWEEPING MACHINE Carl w. Mott, La Grange Par 1111., assignor to Elgin Sweeper Company; El'gin,f lll.,. a corporation of Illinois Application January 2, 1i8","seiai a. 155

This invention relates to. improvements in street sweeping machines, and more particularly to machines of the type which sweep up and collect dirt and debris from the surface of 'a street as the machine is propelled ther'ealong, the

sweepings being collected in a dirt box or hopper carried by the machine.

As commonly constructed, street sweeping machines include a dirt box into which sweepings are directed from the sweeping brush, and means are'provided at thebottom of the dirt boxfor' dumping the collected contents when the dirt box is to be evacuated. Howeventhe evacuated j contents can assume only .a shallow pile where the receiving surface is at the traction level of the wheels of the sweeper, or thesweeper'must be run to the edge of'a depression which is to receivethe evacuated contents. Where no" permanent dump is handy to the sweeper in the particular area or zone in which it is operating,

it generally is necessary for the sweeper periodically to dump its contents of accumulatedsweepings in the street or other prescribed'placefor pick-up by a truck which will haul the same'to a disposal point. This, requires re-handling of the sweepings and adds asubstantial laborand handling cost to the street sweeping operations.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a street sweeping machine which is so constructed and arranged that sweepings collected thereby can be dumped directly into the hopper or body ofa, truck or onto a relatively high ile of sweepings directly at a disposal point where that is convenient.

Another object of the invention is to provide '1 Claims. (01. 15-53) rials swept up by the brush assembly, means for selectively elevating said dirt box to a height substantially above its dirt-receiving height for dumping the contents thereof at a substantially greater elevation than the normal dirt collecting' elevationpf the dirt box.

According to other general features of the in- ,vention, the. means for elevating the dirt box comprises a'parallel linkage system.

According to additional general features of the invention, the means for elevating the dirt box includes hydraulic actuation mechanism.

According to still other general features of the invention, there is provided in a street sweeping machine of the type which is propelled along a street to beswept and has a sweeping brush structure, a dirt box, means for directing sweepings from the brush structure into the dirt box, the dirt box being detachably associated' with the machine, and means connecting the dirt box' to the machineand constructed and arranged to respond to the will of the operator of the sweeping machine to lift the dirt box to an elevated position from which the contents of the dirt box can be dumped into the body of a tr'uck in' which the dumped sweepings can be hauled away from the sweeping site.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from a street sweeping machine having an elevating type of dirt box which can be raised to a sub- -stantial height for disposition in overlying relation to'a truck body or the like which is to receive the accumulated sweepings from the dirt box. v r Another object of the invention is to provide in a street'sweeping machine means for receiving and accumulating a substantial volume of sweepings at a point relatively close to the sweeping brush assembly of the'machine and which isadapted to bemoved to an elevated position to permit dumping of theaccumulated contents of the sweepings therefrom to an elevation substantially above the n0rmaloperating elevation of the machine. H v

' According to the general features of the present invention there is'provided in a street sweeping machine having sweeper brush means and a dirt box for receiving and 'accumulatingmatethe following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure lis a' side elevational view, more or less schematic, showing a street sweeping machine embodying the features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the street sweeping machine; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the machine of Figure l and a portion of a truck and showing how sweepings accumulated by the sweeping machine can be dumped into the truck to be hauled away.

' The present invention is especially applicable to self-propelled street sweeping machines, such as that illustrated, and including a body it supnection between the wheel assembly and a motor,

ported on a chassis l I resting upon a three wheel -arrangementincluding a single rear wheel 52 and a pair of spaced coaxial front wheels 83.

The machine is propelled by suitable driving consuch as a gasoline engine within a rear housing Hi. In Figures-l and 3, the particular manner in which the ,front wheels l3 are connected to th thassis llgha s been omitted to avoid obscursweeping broom I 8 which isfsupported l9 and is operable to rotate swepingly'forwardly,'

as indicated by directional arrow to sweep up dirt and litter from the street along which theinachine is propelled into a downward extension 20 of the body l providing a forward sweepings accumulator. The machine is also equipped with the customary rotary side brooms for jbruslie jl by which accumulations of litter in the gutters of the street being cleaned a're js wept fin'to' the path of the main cylindrical 'sweepingbroom 1'8.

According tothe. prese t invention t e-sweep ings accumulated byjtlie' machine"a i e'j'deposited in'a receptacleor'dirtfbuoketfl whichjis separably connectedjto the forward "end" 'oi'the' body 10, and is arranged 'to';be" e1eyated toi'fisilbs'tantial height above its dirt rec i in position "with respect to the body *1 qv or; tr eisweepmgmac ine. To this end; the'dirt' b'u ketfz ris," inithe gpre'sent instanc int erorm or a, hopper onb'iickethaving an open uppeif'nd anda capricious sweepings receiver interior [The open top "of the dirt box 22 is preferably: disposed injarto 'ratiye oblioue upward and forwardly inclined plane'and is arranged to make substantially. dir't'j-ti'ghtfengagement wita nttpqr'; overhanging'fOrWa'rdly extending i eeli tii'i iii iij 'Q if ebdyu" having the f orwardpartthereof which is engaged byv the he. o hes irt Pa k t .a 'r b edw' complementary b eue :p enm ee ie a wardly to provide communication from the-in tenor otfi t i :the congru nt-i Ir e 'eb sweepings directed into the lower body portion by he b oom lfllareia n dto r. v n the general direction in dicated. by the dash -dire ctional arrow lines D.up through theil owfiribQdy, portion which has a slanting forw ard wall 25' coplanar with the irontto the portion, :24, and then through the upper forward portionfl ot the body into the dirt bucket, 12,, The lpweryendgof the dirt bucket )22 is of course, -disposedfat a I sufficient normal elevation to clear objects and" structures that may appear in the path or, the machine and protrude abovethe traction level of the front wheels .i3in;the;courseof -the street sweeping activityrof the machine. ,A

- p gs which accumulat in i' 'M hk E 22 are adapted -to be'-dumped,throughthe forward end of the dirt. bucket ,-whichiis.normally closed by a dump door i2fLwhich-is preferably hingedly mounted 'at itstupperqedge as'at 28 to swing downwardly and forwardly to-' opens-position substantially-as indicated in;Fig.: 3. Means for controlling thedumpndoor ZIpreferably comprises a pair ofhydraulic operators.- 29y.having respective connections through crank arms 2 911. 7

with the pivot 28 of the dump door and which may be in the form of a rotatably mounted shaft rigidly attached to the dump door, V 7 V I By mounting the dirt bucket 22 in such amenner that itcan be swung forwardlygand upwardly n from the body portion 24, it can be elevated to a h 4 point where its contents may be dumped by opening of the dump door 21 into a truck T (Fig. 3) or onto a substantially elevated pile of debris and sweepings accumulated from a number of dumpings of sweepings. This is accomplished by means such as a parallel linkage system by which the dump bucket 22 is connected to the body Hi.v Herein the=palrallellinkagef system includes respective pairs'bfidenti'c'al link at the opposite sides of the dump bucket and including in each instance a lower link 30 and an upper li'nk3l. The lower link 30 is connected on a forwardpivot ,32 adjacent the lower corner of the T"dirt"b11bkfet zziand'at its rear end on a pivot 33 adi'aoe iitfthe jippjrmost corner at the side of the forward body portion 24. The upper link 3| is corineted at its 'forward end in vertically spaced relation on a pivot 34 to the side of the dirt bucket 22 and'at its rear end on a pivot 35 in vertically spaced relation abovefthe pivot 33 of the lower ii i kia. ver y ,ur war sibxtndineyibra ket 31 being carried"by the "body lflto a'ccomrnodate'the position as shown "to"rearwardly' and"dowiiiifai firtendihjfearsior arms 39 on such, pperators'are c fed at Sijbtiyj pivots od :1 ufjanjdjat theirffdr especjtive hydraulic qlrfi arl n orgienJth'e r eetiv gfsiaes'brthe I w 'f'rdfehdsth'rjoiigh'the medmmgorir espectivepiston rq'a i'ju' e 1 .i i lic operating "circu may be utilized for actuating f the nyd'rauiic operatdr'sj arasa 'thehydraiilifciopema i esid a ernes or r s e- H .i re ite le 'm i e l able lever knob or other mafnipi la'tof 43 in the (iterator some ment ;l5'for thisr 'purpose,

, 1fwli leii e'i' veerm wr e i ji l a icp rennin? setbac s? zl'ishe di e t htfii 'j ceiving association at its cpenup'per end with ee i e -,e; .t i fimwii s,.he trel elx l ka i -3 and i-l hisim tate upp men d ha a hy- 38, 'or any other suitable latching means may be utilize '55 h n .1 ie i ii ddiimn attenuated sweepesi ?mv e-dirt box Qr-buc et Zhtb ima V e :b ,:r n d re t vs ops -dumping;site a d; if desi d. t e ycqnte tspt th ket; may b merely by opening the dump door 21. Shouldfit be nec ss ry;.to :denodtthe: sweepings on a pile at -a. hlgher-elevationjhan th'e iowerendof the dirt bucket-g2 in;i,tssweepings, receiving position.

) then the dirt ibucket canfbe' elevated to the nec- -essary extent 111 ztQxitS "uppermost elevated limit y OMI Qn-Dfith hydraulic; o e tors w a e the dumnrdoor114s'ad ntedtogbeope d .7 0? i ar ing-the,Qmtent ioh hejbask t-l S tie of he .dirt b k tzi: s. of t ur ae ected before the machine is driven tp the point H Wh h b w e verben h sp ttorwhich its errlqv i e to ar h lill ls overi pot.

A great convenience is airorded-by the present elevating type 'of'dirt bucketand substan- T or the truck T is backed under the elevated dirt bucket and the sweepings contents of the dirt bucket discharged as indicated by the directional arrows in Figure 3 upon opening of the dump door 21.

Inasmuch as the dirt box or bucket 22 is supported by the parallel linkage 3ll3l, its axis does not shift in any position thereof as it is swung between loading and dumping positions as indicated by the dash 'line S in Figure 3. Thus, there is no danger of spilling of the contents as the dirt bucket is' elevated.

From-Figures 1 and 2, it may be observed that the dirt box or bucket 22 is preferably dimensioned so as to blend harmoniously with the forward portion of the sweeper machine body I 0;

That is, the upper surface of the dirt bucket is preferably formed to blend coplanar with the front to rear curvature of the top of the body ID. The sides of the dirt bucket are preferably formed to extend in the same planes as the respective sides of the body [0. This not only affords an attractive appearance for the machine as a unit, but also facilitates and simplifies the construction of the machine.

Where preferred, of course, the relationship of the mouth of the dirt bucket 22 to the sweeping broom l8 may be such that the sweepings will be impelled directly into the dirt bucket.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination in a street sweeping machine including a body having an obliquely upwardly and forwardly arranged open front face portion, means for sweeping a surface over which the machine is directed and delivering the sweepings to said open front face portion, a dirt bucket having its major axis normal to said oblique front face portion and having its upper end cooperatively related to said oblique front face portion to receive the sweepings, and means connecting the dirt bucket to the sweeper body for movement bodily of the bucket into an elevated position separated from said front face portion, said bucket having a removable portion at an end remote from said open face portion displaceable, when the bucket is elevated, for the discharge of the bucket contents.

2. In combination in a street sweeping machine including a body having an obliquely upwardly and forwardly arranged open front face portion, means for sweeping a surface over which the machine is directed and delivering the sweepings to said open front face portion, a dirt bucket having its major axis normal to said oblique front face portion and having its upper end cooperatively related to said oblique front face portion to receive the sweepings, and means connecting the dirt bucket to the sweeper body for movement bodily of the bucket into an ele- 6 vated position separated from said front face portion, said bucket having a removabi'e portion at an end remote from said open face portion displaceable, when the'bucket is elevated, for the discharge of the bucket contents, said connecting means comprising a parallel linkage including a lower link pivotally connected at one end to the side of the dirt bucket adjacent its lowermost cornerand at its other end connected pivotally to the uppermost forward side portion of the sweeper body and a second link connected pivotally to the side of the dirt bucket in spaced vertical direction above the lower link and to a fixed pivot in spaced relation above the lower link, and in fixed. relation to the body, whereby in the separation of the dirt bucket from said. forward face of the body the dirt bucket swings on an arc forwardly and upwardly when said removable portion is adapted to be displaced.

3. In. a power-propelled sweeping machine having a body carried upon power-driven aligned traction wheels and a broom for sweeping dirt into said body, a dirt receptacle having an opening at one side in communication with said body for receiving sweepings as the same are swept up by the broom, means for holding said receptacle in fixed position on said body to receive the sweepings and for bodily moving said receptacle away from said body to disconnect same therefrom so that the receptacle may thereafter be emptied, said receptacle having a portion thereof provided with a discharge door normally held closed during loading of the receptacle with sweepings and adapted to be opened after removal of the receptacle from cooperation with the body to enable discharging of the load from the receptacle.

4. In a sweeping machine, including a hollow body for receiving the sweepings and formed open at one end and for the discharge of sweepings therethrough, a closure member for covering said open end and comprising a bucket having an open side in communication with the interior of said body for receiving and storing said sweepings discharged through said open end and means for holding said bucket in closure position against said open end of the body during said sweeping operation and for bodily swinging said bucket away from said open end and to an elevated discharge position substantially above and remote from said open end, said bucket also having a closure removable from over a discharge opening in the bucket when the bucket is ele vated and so that the bucket contents can be discharged through said discharge opening.

5. In a sweeping machine, including a hollow body for receiving the sweepings and formed open at one end and for the discharge of sweepings therethrough, a closure member for covering said open end and comprising a bucket having an open side in communication with the interior of said body for receiving and storing said sweepings discharged through said open end and means for holding said bucket in closure position against said open end of the body during said sweeping operation and for bodily swingin said bucket away from said open end and to an elevated discharge position substantially above and remote from said open end, said bucket having a closure removable from over a discharge opening in the bucket when the bucket is elevated and so that the bucket contents can be discharged through said discharge opening, said bucket when in closure position on the body being held '7 to'idepend downwardly; iromrsaid; opemend and asflarcnntinuatiun of thezbody .inzan inclined position for )the t1sweepings :rto gravitate freely therein: toward: the bucket": closure; and-:When: in

elevated 'position' beingiisubstantiallymabove vthe I .iS obeing doade'd .With s'sweepings, said z.-portions seeing separable by saidrmeans toamovess'aidr resceptacle away from" and -oi1t ioflr enzagement with 'as'aid'body'lowerportion.

' 7 .1 The machine: oft-claim 3* furtherrcharacterized by said means including pivot meansfonthe' sides-of the receptacle, leverage means connected to saidp-pivot -means:- and. power-actuated means connected to 5 said 1-1everage means for moving the-receptacle into; an outencoo'peration "with a =downward1y discharging portion :of the -*body,'::saidr receptacle having: anupperpportion providedxwith a charging:openingvandmdapted to" be, moved :into registering engagement with -said'wdischarging portion of the body: by said means.

: CARL W. MOTT.

.rREFERENCES- CITED Thefollowing:references; are ofv recordzinwthe file-not this: patent:

UNITED STATESTA'IENTS Number Name 7' Date I 371,722 -W-right.4 a 4-4.Oct.- 1,8, 188'? 482,663 Voelkle Sept. '13, 1892 589,692 Brown Sept, 7,.- 1897 810,547 Menzies -4. ,Ian. 23,;1906 4,256,561 I xHoffer et al. -Feb.l19,h1918 2,199,703 Hough May 7, 1 40 2 ,236,815 r'EVflIlS t a riApl.: -1, 11941 2,314,381 Arnett Mar. 23,- 1 943 2,348,899 -.Guignard; et. a1. May-16,1944 2,39,1,224 Carter a. Decal8, 1945 2,397,530 -Brosius Apr. .2, 1946 FOREIGN-PATENTS Number Country Date 1' 314,841 Great Britain .'Ju1y13,;1929 

